Brevard School Board Item H.2: Pineapple Cove Classical Academy at Emerald Lakes Charter Application on November 17

The Brevard County School Board will receive a charter school application as an information item at its regular meeting on Tuesday, November 17, 2026. Item H.2 is the 2026-27 charter application for Pineapple Cove Classical Academy at Emerald Lakes, a proposed K-8 school. District staff recommend approval. The item is listed under Information, not Action, on the November 17 agenda. The Board has not voted on the application, and no decision is final.

Where the Item Falls on the Agenda

The meeting is the Board's Regular Board Meeting for the Organization of the Board and Oath of Office. It starts at 5:30 p.m. in the Board Room at the ESF Facility, 2700 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Melbourne. The agenda opens with the oath of office for Megan Wright of District 1, Kyle Savage of District 2 and Michele McCormack of District 5. The Board will then select a new Chair and Vice Chair.

The charter application is item 2 in section H, Information. The attachments are an agenda item summary, the district's evaluation tool and the applicant's narrative.

What the Item Summary Says

The summary comes from the Curriculum and Instruction department. It states that Brevard Public Schools received one application for a charter school to become operational in the 2027-28 school year. That application is Pineapple Cove Classical Academy at Emerald Lakes.

The summary cites section 1002.33, Florida Statutes. It states that the applicant granted the district a 30 day extension to conduct a "quality" review. The founding board presented at the School Board Workshop on October 6, 2026. It also interviewed with the review team on October 19, 2026. Staff used the Florida Department of Education evaluation instrument and recommend approval.

The summary lists December 8, 2026 under meeting dates for items that span more than one meeting. Its recommendation reads: "Hold a public hearing and approve the charter application for Pineapple Cove Classical Academy at Emerald Lakes."

The Proposed School

The narrative describes a K-8 charter school in the Emerald Lakes area of Brevard County. It would focus on classical education and the liberal arts and sciences. The narrative states that the school is affiliated with Hillsdale College's K-12 Education Office. It states that the school has submitted a letter of intent to purchase 15 acres in the Emerald Lakes master planned community.

The evaluation names Classical Education Management, LLC as the education service provider. It states that this company manages the other three Pineapple Cove Classical Academy schools. It reports that two of those schools have a school grade of A and one has a B.

The evaluation lists these parts of the planned program:

• Core Knowledge Sequence as the base of the curriculum.

• Explicit phonics and the Literacy Essentials reading curriculum.

• Singapore Math.

• Latin, technology, fine arts and physical education.

• STAR testing in grades K-2 and FAST testing in grades 3-8.

Enrollment Projections

The narrative's enrollment table starts with grades K through 6 and adds one grade each year. It projects these totals:

• Year 1: 580 students.

• Year 2: 668 students.

• Year 3: 756 students.

• Year 4: 778 students.

• Year 5: 800 students.

The narrative states that the projections used attendance and boundary maps for current schools. It also cites growth plans for thousands of new homes within three miles of the proposed site. The evaluation raises a question on the numbers. It states that the budget is based on a first year enrollment of 566, while the letter of intent lists 624. Reviewers asked which projection the applicant expects.

Facility Plans and Review Questions

The narrative states that the school would build a new facility financed with tax-exempt bonds. It plans for at least 65 square feet per student at capacity, plus 5,000 square feet of common space. That would mean a building of at least 57,000 square feet when fully built out. The narrative states that the first year, at 580 students, would need only 42,000 square feet. It names JAC Land Development as its in-house developer. If construction cannot start, the school would use modular buildings as needed. If it cannot open on time, it would use a year of deferment.

The evaluation lists several facility questions:

• BPS schools similar in size to a 57,000 square foot building have an average capacity of 470 students. Reviewers asked how the school would hold over 600 students.

• Reviewers asked what steps have been taken to secure the Emerald Lakes site.

• Reviewers asked for the expected construction timeframe and school year opening date.

• Reviewers asked about the plan for opening if Emerald Lakes delays building homes.

Financial Notes in the Evaluation

The narrative states that start-up costs would be covered by a $100,000 loan from Classical Education Management. The budget assumes no interest. Principal repayment would start in year 2.

The evaluation notes the financial history of the other campuses. It states that the Palm Bay and West Melbourne campuses have had repeat audit comments on bond covenant noncompliance. It states that all three Pineapple Cove campuses had negative ending net positions at the end of FY26 due to high debt. It adds that no other Brevard sponsored charter school had a negative ending net position that year. Reviewers asked how the new school would comply with bond covenants and avoid similar audit findings.

What State Law Says About the Timeline

Section 1002.33(6)(b) requires a sponsor to approve or deny an application by majority vote no later than 90 calendar days after receiving it. The sponsor and applicant may agree in writing to postpone the vote to a specific date. Before a vote, the sponsor must give the applicant at least 7 calendar days to fix technical errors if those errors are cause to deny.

If an application is denied, the sponsor must state the specific reasons in writing within 10 calendar days. The applicant may appeal to the State Board of Education within 30 calendar days. If an application is approved, the sponsor has 30 days to provide a proposed charter contract. The parties then have 40 days to negotiate it. Section 1002.33(7) states that the charter is signed after a public hearing.

The evaluation describes the school as a high-performing replication of Pineapple Cove Classical Academy at Palm Bay. State law limits the grounds on which a sponsor may deny an application from a high-performing charter school. The law also lets a charter school defer its opening for up to 3 years for facility planning.

How to Take Part

The agenda states that speakers must fill out a speaker's form on arrival. Sign-up closes when the meeting starts. Each speaker gets 3 minutes on agenda items. The meeting will air live on Spectrum channel 496 and stream on the district website and YouTube.

The item summary recommends that the Board hold a public hearing and approve the charter application for Pineapple Cove Classical Academy at Emerald Lakes.

The Brevard County School Board will receive Information item H.2 on Tuesday, November 17, 2026, at 5:30 p.m., Board Room, ESF Facility, 2700 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Melbourne.